“Christmas Vacation: Where to Find the Action” by Marian Davis

Originally published December 1976.
By Marian Davis

Complied by Julia Lang - 09/12
NEIRAD enilno edition

Got the boredom blues already? What are you going to do with 10 days of vacation? For those of you who aren’t taking off for sunny Florida or the snow covered slopes, Neirad went in search of ideas to keep you busy.

With extra hours of sleep, you should have an added amount of energy. Weather permitting, Tilley’s Pond, Gorham’s Pond, Cove(Holly) Pond, and the Cherry Lawn Pond offer good skating, and Wee Burn Country Club and the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in New York State provide excellent hills for sledding, tobogganing, and beginning skiing.

If it is not cold enough, try the Darien Ice Rink (655-8251). For the more ambitious, Landmark Square Ice Rink (357-0888), an open-air rink modeled much like Rockefeller Center, is open to the public. Call for times.

Kings Highway Indoor Tennis Club (655-8769) rents courts from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. The paddle tennis courts at Weed Beach (655-8511) are open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. at eh cost of $1 per person.

Through Dec. 26, The Stamford Museum and Nature Center has a photography exhibit, “Carl Struss: Man With a Camera,” and Dec. 28 through Jan. 5 they will have a coverlet display.

But what about those long and cold winter nights? How about Bridgeport jai-alali (333-2866), weekdays at 7:15 p.m., Sat. at 7 p.m., and matinees on Wed. and Sat. at noon. Admission is $1.65 and up.

Also, every Friday night, the Stamford Museum Observatory is open for public use. The second Friday of every month there is a lecture by the Fairfield County Astronomy Society Junior Division, which is open to the public.

A more expensive and more glamorous approach to entertainment may be found in the Big Apple, only an hour away. Economize and take the MTA on a Sunday when half fares are in effect. Once into Grand Central Station, walk two blocks west to 5th Avenue. Here you are very close to the main Christmas attractions the city has to offer. Lord and Taylor’s Christmas windows, the most exotic and creative in all N.Y., can be found at 5th and 39th. FAO Schwartz, a child’s dream world (you’ll like it, too!) of toys is easily found at 5th and 59th, and, of course, visit Rockefeller Center on 5th between 48th and 52nd (best at night with the Xmas tree lighted and skating). A little out of the way, yet of special interest, is the World Trade Center Observation Deck (on a clear day you can see forever!), easily reached by the “E” line subway from Times Square. Also, the Egyptian exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and South Street Seaport (Fulton St. on the east side near the Brooklyn Bridge).

So, we hope you all have a terrific vacation, but if you find yourself looking for something to do, try one of these suggestion, or call Darien Answers (655-1234) for further information.